Shape-Shifting Design That Reconfigures After Being Kicked Apart

This reconfigurable robot comes from roboticist Mark Yim and is an innovative design that can automatically put itself back together after it's been kicked apart. Yim is developing his reconfigurable robot at the University of Pennsylvania.

The end product of research from roboticists like Yim is to create technology that will lead to shape-shifting objects. Such an invention can dramatically reduce the clutter in our toolboxes, garages and homes by automatically changing its form to accommodate its intended use.

Implications - The amazing reassembling robot proved its capabilities in a telling demonstration, where the 2-legged robot is kicked apart and broken into three pieces. The pieces, guided by images from an embedded camera, move across the floor and reconnect, forming the original robot and resuming its walk.